John knocked quietly on the door of his new dorm.
"You can come in." A muffled male voice sounded from inside before swearing. "Shit, it's locked, give me a second."
A moment later, the door flung open to reveal a (rather hot) boy wearing an oversized hoodie and jeans.
"Hey. Are you…fuck, uh...John! Laurens, right?" He grinned nervously. "I'm not good at remembering names."
John laughed. "Nah, it's fine. You're Alexander Hamilton, right?"
Alexander nodded. "Alex is good. Oh, uh, come in."
John dragged his suitcase in and took in the room. It was a small room with two beds, the one farther from the window taken up by a bag.
"You didn't want that bed, did you?" Alex asked hesitantly, as if reluctant to give it up. When John shook his head, Alex's face split into a wide smile and he motioned towards the bed next to the window. "All yours, my dude."
"You're energetic," John noted as he tossed his suitcase on the bed.
Alex guffawed. "No way. I've just had way too much coffee today. I think I'm on my -" he counted under his breath in a mix of French, English, and Spanish- "one, deux, tres, four, cinco! Fifth cup today, my friend."
John sucked in a breath. "No wonder you're so energetic. You're almost as enthusiastic as my friend, Laf."
As if on cue, a barrage of knocks attacked the door.
"John, mon ami, I know you're in there!" John recognized the voice as Lafayette.
"Yeah, Laf," John groaned as he opened the door and Laf lifted him into the air. "Gah, Laf, no."
"You didn't call to say you were here! Eliza told us!" That was Hercules.
"John, you planning on telling me who this man is?" Laf demanded, squinting at Alex.
"Hi. Alexander Hamilton. High on caffeine," Alex said by way of greeting.
Lafayette chuckled. "I can bet I've had more than you, mon petit ami."
Alex raised an eyebrow before replying with "Five cups. And I'm not that short."
Laf's eyes widened. "You speak French?" he gasped.
"Français, Español, and English."
John gaped. "I speak Spanish."
"While it's nice to know that my best friend's new roommate knows three languages, I would like to know what you're studying, Alexander," Hercules narrowed his eyes.
"Law and politics," Alex responded. "You?"
Hercules crossed his arms. "Design. Laf's studying to be a teacher and John-"
"Marine biology," John gave a slight smile.
Alex returned the smile with a lopsided grin and then suddenly swore as a knock on the door sounded.
"For fuck's sake, Alex, I know you're in there."
"For fuck's sake, Alex…" Alex mocked under his breath before opening the door. "Hi, Angelica. Eliza, Peggy." He stepped aside to allow the three Schuyler sisters to file in.
"Hey Ale- Herc? Laf? John? What the hell are you doing here?" Eliza gasped.
"Alex is my roommate," John replied. "What about you?"
"Err, the Schuylers are friends." Alex muttered, taking a sip from a mug gone previously unnoticed on the nightstand.
"Alex, didn't you just tell us you had five cups of coffee?" Herc said incredulously.
Alex nodded, finishing the cup. "Six, now, actually."
"That's tame. Once, he had like fifteen cups because he had to study for finals," Peggy noted, moving Alex's stuff and flopping on his bed.
Alex gave a guilty smile before changing the topic. "What time is it? I'm ordering pizza."
wAw
It must have been around two in the morning when the sound of thunder woke Alex from his sleep. He gasped quietly.
"Breathe, Alex. Breathe," he mumbled under his breath. "It's not Nevis."
It took him a moment to realize that the light in the kitchen was on. Curious, he rolled out of bed and silently made his way into the kitchen.
John was seated at the small table, a book propped open in front of him. He was shirtless, much to Alex's surprise and (reluctant) delight. Those emotions quickly morphed into concern as Alex noted the long scars of varying thickness and depth.
"Hey, John."
John all but jumped out of his seat. "Wha- Alex. Hi. What are you doing up?"
Alex gestured vaguely towards the window. "Storm. Anxiety. Possibly an overload of coffee. Take your pick."
John snorted before his face collapsed back into a contemplative sadness. He sat back down.
Alex slid into a chair across from John and poked his arm. "What happened to you?"
John's eyes snapped up and he subconsciously touched his back. "Nothing."
"Your back is not 'nothing,'" Alex sighed.
"Don't worry about it."
Alex glared at John's wrist where faint bruises encircled it. They looked suspiciously like fingers. He met John's gaze again and murmured quietly, "You can talk with me."
John shook his head violently. "I'm fine. You've just met me, what's with acting like a mother hen?"
Alex was quiet for a moment and then spoke in a faint voice. "Because I know what it's like to feel hopeless."
In Alex's opinion, the stillness that followed was deafening. John broke the tense silence with a whispered "Good night, Alex."
Hi, yes, I'm doing another lams college AU fight me, it's the only thing I'm good at. At least this one won't be filled with shitty writing (I hope!).